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(Case Study) 4 Quality Fails from Clients

Lee Anqi — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 08:06:46 +0000

We respect our clients' privacy. The product examples shared are partial displays or similar categories, carefully chosen to protect confidential information.

A supplier can make or break your supply chain. But sometimes, everything seems smooth until the bulk order arrives. Today, we’re sharing 4 real-life client cases and how we resolved them.

Big-brand suppliers aren’t best

Finding the right supplier really depends on your specific needs. Even big-brand suppliers aren’t always the best choice for every buyer. One of our South African clients found this out the hard way. He placed a $10,000 order with a well-known big-brand supplier on Alibaba, expecting top-quality products. But when the products arrived, the messy details completely floored him. To make it worse, the factory refused to fix anything.

That’s when we stepped in and helped him switch to a smaller factory. For this new supplier, he became one of their VIP clients. They offer free samples, perfecting every little detail, and even giving a 25% discount at the end.

Jing: From our experience, big-brand factories can produce high-quality goods, but they may prioritize large orders over smaller ones. Smaller factories, though, treat every order as a big deal and will do whatever it takes to get it right.

Defects remake went from no to yes

We’ve dealt with plenty of supplier messes before, but this case was a bit different. Our client Sarah had ordered 1,000 ceramic jars, so we helped her inspect them. Turns out, most of them had cracks. When Sarah asked the factory to remake the order, they just shrugged it off as “no big deal” and refused. Why? They knew Sarah wouldn’t sue because international lawsuits are too complicated. Even if she gave up on the order, the factory could still sell it off cheaply. It’s every overseas buyer’s worst nightmare.

To fix the situation, we got our lawyer involved. And guess what? As soon as they heard from the lawyer, the factory suddenly agreed to remake the entire batch. It was dramatic how quickly their attitude changed. It’s really tough for overseas buyers to protect their rights. That’s why we always recommend using Alibaba Trade Assurance or working with a reliable sourcing partner.

3rd Party QC misses hidden defects

Some products might look perfect on the surface and even pass third-party inspections, but once they’re actually used, their quality falls apart. That’s exactly what happened to our U.S. client, who lost thousands of dollars in Amazon refunds. His product? Bible handbags. While they seemed flawless during inspection, customers kept complaining about broken handles after just a few uses. He couldn’t figure out whether it was a factory issue or a problem elsewhere in the supply chain.

When his new batch arrived at our warehouse, we didn’t stop at standard checks. To truly simulate real-world use, our sourcing agent Joe loaded each bag with a 2kg weight to test its durability. Sure enough, the handles snapped again. This gave our client a clear understanding of the root problem, so we recommended upgrading to stronger materials.

Careless worker ruins packaging

When our U.S. client Alex’s custom mug holders arrived at our warehouse, we were stunned, almost every single one was defective. It was hard to believe because we were working with a factory renowned for its expertise in wooden products, located in Cao County, the hub of China’s wooden manufacturing industry. The factory had been cooperative, offering free samples and attractive pricing.

However, the factory explained that the issue came down to lazy employees who didn’t properly package, resulting in scratches during transportation. We immediately returned the entire batch and insisted that every single holder be repaired and properly repackaged.

Buyers often focus on two things: price and product quality. But Alex’s experience revealed an often-overlooked pain point: packaging. A tiny oversight turned into a massive headache. Luckily, we caught the problem early, worked closely with the factory to resolve it, and ensured every product passed our inspection before being shipped out to Alex.

Sourcing on Alibaba and other B2B platforms is super convenient, letting you talk directly to factories. But here’s the thing—you can’t inspect the quality firsthand, especially with customized products. Honestly, there’s no shortcut. You’ve got to invest in finding reliable suppliers and following up on every stage after production.

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Baiyun Leather City and 4 Top Leather Markets: Insider Tips

Sunny Xie — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 02:49:23 +0000

The world looks to China for leather goods, with Guangzhou at its center. Guangzhou‘s leatherware supply chain is mature and comprehensive, covering raw materials, accessories, and the production of finished leather goods. Today, I will focus on analyzing Guangzhou Baiyun Leather City—replica bag heaven, plus 4 other leading leather markets.

Guangzhou Baiyun World Leather Trading Centre

Guangzhou Baiyun World Leather Trading Centre, also known as Baiyun Leather City, attracts a large number of international visitors looking for great deals, especially during the Canton Fair.

Baiyun Leather City is famous for its high-quality replica bags, including LV, Chanel, Hermes, etc. On YouTube, many influencers share affordable luxury bags sourced from here. Below are screenshots of two influencers sharing their finds. Click to enlarge.

Why are so many replicas made in Baiyun?

Baiyun initially specialized in OEM production for luxury brands and tried to develop its own brands, but struggled to gain popularity. Until 2007, a group of businesses from Shenzhen moved in to start producing high-quality replicas, and the market gradually took off. For example, when Real Madrid visited Guangzhou in 2011, manager José Mourinho bought luxury replica bags from Baiyun Leather City.

Driven by:

High-profit margins in the replica industry.
The experience and speed gained from OEM production. For example, when Hermes releases a new design on Monday, Baiyun can have a replica ready by Friday.
Rising consumer demand, particularly from buyers in places like Dubai, the EU, the US, etc.

Baiyun Leather City has become the go-to place for quality replicas, including bags, shoes, belts, watches, clothing, and accessories, with bags being its strongest category.

Baiyun replica bags reach a level where they can easily pass for authentic. What’s most important is that these replica bags are incredibly affordable, priced at just one-tenth of the original, with a 95% likeness to the authentic version.

How is the quality of Baiyun replica bags?

Replica luxury bags generally fall into 3 categories: low, medium, and high quality. There’s a big difference in both price and quality.

Grade-A replica bags

They look similar to the real thing, but it’s easy to tell they’re not genuine, with things like stiff leather and rough hardware. These are usually made in small private workshops with poor materials and a lack of quality control. That’s why they’re so cheap—around several hundred RMB for an A-grade replica LV or Gucci bag. Click to enlarge the comparison images below.

Super grade-A replica bags

These bags are 80-90% similar to the original. They cost around 1k or more RMB, but they look and feel much better, with finer leather and better craftsmanship. To the untrained eye, they’re almost identical to the real thing. Only hardcore fans of LV, Hermes, or Chanel, or experts who know their bags, might spot the difference. This grade is popular, making up the largest share of the replica bag market. Click to enlarge the comparison images below.

Top-tier superfakes

Every detail—materials, craftsmanship, and design—is copied exactly from luxury brands, making the quality and appearance nearly identical to the real thing, with a 95% similarity. Unless you’re an expert and use special equipment, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference. Plus, the price is much lower than the authentic version. For example, a bag that costs around 20,000 RMB at a brand boutique can be found for just 2k+ RMB as a top-tier superfake.

Here are 3 key comparisons between the authentic Carryall and a high-quality replica (3K RMB), very close to the original. Click to enlarge.

Factories often dissect authentic bags, carefully analyzing the shape, size, leather, fabric, lining, hardware, and stitching. Then, they reproduce knockoffs exactly based on these specifications. Some even surpass the originals in workmanship and quality.

3 points to know when purchasing in Baiyun Leather City.

Basic info

Baiyun Leather City is located at No. 1356-1358, Jiefang North Road, Sanyuanli, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. It’s right next to Guangzhou Train Station. You can exit at Sanyuanli Station (Exit A) on the metro or take a bus to Guihuagang Station.

Baiyun Leather City includes Phase 1 and Phase 2. Usually, it’s enough to explore Phase 1, as it has more big brands, more booths, and a wider range of products compared to Phase 2. The prices are generally higher in Phase 1 as well.

If you’re short on time, just visit floors 1-3, as the basement floor (B1) has fewer booths.

Open time: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Afternoons are better, as fewer shops open in the morning.

The displayed samples don’t have original brand logos.

The samples displayed in the shops usually don’t have brand logos. If you want to see products with logos, the salespeople will show you pictures on their phone or iPad, as the actual items with logos are kept in the warehouse.

Because counterfeit products are illegal. The Guangzhou government conducts annual crackdowns on counterfeit goods, usually focusing in June.

Visit more booths and make comparisons.

The quality of bags varies greatly, with prices ranging from low to high. Some booths may source their products from the same factory, but prices can still differ, which is common.

So, buyers should carefully compare the workmanship, leather, and hardware, etc. Don’t assume a lower price means it’s directly from the factory. Good factories usually have a steady flow of customers and reliable resellers, so they don’t need to risk setting up stalls in the market—they sell online instead.

For the products you’re interested in, you won’t be able to get them immediately. There are generally 2 ways:

Pay a deposit first, then check replica bags nearby at night. If you’re satisfied, pay the remaining balance to complete the purchase.

Pay and leave your address (e.g. hotels). Then, the seller will send the products to you.

This applies during government crackdowns on counterfeit goods in Baiyun Market.

Make sure to ask about the return policy, particularly regarding returns for non-quality issues. Once you receive bags, carefully check the style, size, color, leather, hardware, and craftsmanship. Only remove the protective straps once you’re satisfied, to avoid issues with returns or exchanges.

In short, Guangzhou Baiyun Leather Market is a hotspot for shoppers worldwide looking for great deals, especially those searching for high-quality replica bags. With the right eye, you can find good items. If you’re new to this, though, you might need to “pay your dues” to learn how to select the premium replicas.

Regarding shipping, sellers usually work with specialized freight forwarders who have specific channels, but the logistics cost is higher than general shipment. Be cautious of those promising 100% customs clearance, as there is always some risk.

Major 2 leather material markets in Guangzhou

Sanyuanli leather goods/material market cluster

Located at No. 222, Guangyuan West Road, the Sanyuanli market cluster is home to many specialized leather goods and material markets. For example:

Mensa Leather Hardware No.1 Center (名商天地皮具材料五金龙头市场) – The world’s largest and most complete high-end leather and hardware market, also the biggest market for rare exotic leathers. This is a primary center for sourcing premium leather materials for high-end leather goods.

Jiahao Leather and Hardware Market (佳豪皮料五金市场) – It specializes in mid-to-high-end leather, hardware accessories, zippers, fabrics, and woven materials for leather goods and bags.

Shiling leather goods and raw material procurement hub

Shiling, a town in Huadu District, Guangzhou, is known as “China’s capital of leather goods,” with almost every household involved in the leather industry.

The most famous markets here include

Shiling International Leather City (狮岭国际皮革城)
Shengdi Group Shiling International Leather Center (圣地集团狮岭国际皮革城)
Shiling Leather Hardware No.1 Center (狮岭皮革五金龙头市场).

These three markets primarily focus on synthetic leather, PU, PVC, fabrics, and accessories.

Guangzhou Zhanxi Shoe Market and nearby leather markets

Zhanxi Shoe Market (站西鞋城) is located in the western section of Zhanxi Road, focusing on men’s and women’s footwear wholesale. The surrounding area hosts several key raw leather markets, including:

Xinhaopan Leather and Hardware Market (新濠畔皮料五金市场) is one of the largest leather markets in Guangzhou, offering a wide range of raw materials, including cow and sheep leather.

Buyun Tiandi Leather and Shoe Market (步云天地皮料鞋业市场) provides various grades of leather, catering to both high-end and budget segments.

Hongyun Leather, Hardware, and Shoe Market (宏运皮料革五金市场) provides a wide range of leather and hardware accessories.

Guangzhou Hongsheng Leather Belt Market

Guangzhou Hongsheng Leather Belt Market (广州鸿昇皮具皮带城) is located at 78 Sanyuanli Avenue. This market specializes in full leather belts, belt buckles and other accessories. It primarily serves wholesalers, although some booths also sell individual items.

The bottom line

Hope this blog helps you navigate Guangzhou’s leather markets! If you found it useful, feel free to share. Got any questions? Drop a comment below.

We’re JingSourcing, a leading sourcing company based in China, with over 10 years of experience in the leatherware industry and other consumer goods customization. Chat with us. whenever you want to source products from China.

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Six Cool Light-Up Products We sourced

Lee Anqi — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 08:08:04 +0000

We sourced some lighting products for our clients, including this message lightboard, and it’s blowing up on TikTok now. The most viral video has over 20M views, and the hottest product link pulled in $93K in sales in just 7 days. Let’s dive into these awesome lighting treasures our clients discovered.

Glow-in-the-dark floating rope

Have you seen a “gravity-defying” floating rope? This circular rope has over 2.7 billion views on TikTok. It continuously spins and floats in the air, and the launch end is equipped with lights that illuminate the glowing rope. I’ve got to say, this might be the most amazing product of the year.

Similar floating ropes were launched as early as 2021, but the innovative glow-in-the-dark design and creative marketing attracted a much wider consumer audience. It turned this a kids’ toy into a party accessory for adults, creating an awesome atmosphere at music festivals and concerts.

Acrylic message lightboard

This product is quite simple: an acrylic board with LED lights, a stand, and a few fluorescent markers. Under the light, the markers glow in the most amazing way. The cost is around $3 and is easy to source.

Honestly, it’s not even a new product this year. But with the Christmas shopping buzz and how perfectly it fits what people want in kids’ toys, the viral power of social media made it a total hit.

Salt Lamp Aroma Humidifier

The humidifier is a must-have for the winter season, with light and water vapor creating a “flame” visual effect. It’s a perfect fit for cold-weather products, especially the two campfire-shaped designs below.

Also, we’ve found the current hot seller: a 3-in-1 humidifier that combines aromatherapy, humidifying, and a night light. With the added Himalayan salt part, it gives the product a whole new appeal. It’s perfect for relaxing and soothing setting.

Light up guitar pick holder

Most guitar pick organizers on the market just focused on storage, like boxes or pouches. But this Light-Up pick organizer goes beyond that by combining an LED night light with the pick storage function. Innovatively, it puts the picks into a guitar shape, giving it both function and style.

Kids' night light

This cute night light comes with a remote to adjust the brightness and color. Aside from its adorable design, its practical features make it ideal for late-night feedings and diaper changes with a soft, calming glow. It also has a timer that automatically turns it off to save energy. The light is rechargeable and made from washable silicone material, making it easy to clean.

Glow in the dark dog toy

This dog toy lets dogs “kick a soccer ball!” The strap design sets it apart from the usual glow in the dark rubber and plastic balls, making it easy to pick up and toss, while also adding a fun tugging interaction. It’s made with glow-in-the-dark material, easy to find at night.
When it comes to dog toys, design and functionality are key. So, how do you get a standout product? It’s not just another cute shaped toy, but the only one that lights up.

These lighting products are trending for a reason. With their practical functionality and eye-catching lighting features, they really stand out by seamlessly fitting into diverse consumer settings.

Subscribe to us to see more product ideas like this one, plus China sourcing stories, insights, practical tips, and case studies.

Wholesale and Cutsomize

Have great product ideas but not sure where to start? Or maybe you’re looking to buy products in stock, add your logo, customize packaging, or place a small order for quick testing?

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Sidebar test – to be deleted

Lincoln Xiao — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 02:28:02 +0000

I’m Jing, from Yiwu China. I’m the founder of Jingsourcing, a leading China sourcing company that helps people find reliable manufacturers in China for quality merchandise, and import to their countries.

China has the largest and best manufacturer resources in the world, but there are many difficulties and potential risks to find the right suppliers for making quality products. That’s why I decide to create a one-stop China sourcing solution to help foreign importers, especially for small businesses.

Just like Silicon Valley garage startups, I started Jingsourcing in my living room in Nov 2014, when I was 25, right after getting master degree. In the past few years, our team grew from 1 to over 100+ people without any investment yet and supported 4,000+ clients from 30+ countries.

I was born and grew up in a family with all members doing manufacturing and trading business. I have witnessed how China’ become the world’s manufacturer, and how our city Yiwu become the world’s largest wholesale center from 0. By knowing how trading works, I started to help foreigners source products when I was in university before starting Jingsourcing.

There’s no client or traffic at all at the beginning, so I started blogging in 2015 to share practical experiences and thoughts about “how to import from China.” Then it becomes one of the most popular blogs for this topic, and a lot of audiences turn to a long-term business relationship with us.

In 2020, I started uploading videos on Youtube to share my experiences on China sourcing to make it more accessible for people to learn.

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70% of Lingerie from This Small Town

Lee Anqi — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 03:49:47 +0000

You might be surprised to hear that 70% of the world’s sexy lingerie is made by older women in China. And no, they’re not from Shanghai or Hong Kong, but a small town called Guanyun. Let’s take a look at this fascinating place.

Start of the sexy lingerie empire

Ten years ago, a student named Lei Congrui from Guanyun saw this business opportunity. At the time, Chinese people were conservative and too shy to buy sexy lingerie in real stores. They’d only secretly shop for it online. So, he started sourcing from Guangzhou to resell online and finally made a million dollars.

To cut costs, Lei Congrui decided to start his own factory. However, things didn’t go smoothly at first. Many locals considered it an “improper” business and refused to work there. To attract workers, he had to offer higher wages. But at that time, most young people from rural China were heading to cities for jobs, leaving only older rural women with spare time to join the factory.
The funniest part? Some villagers mistakenly thought the factory was running a shady operation—yes, that kind of shady. Someone even called the police! When the officers arrived and saw what was actually going on, they couldn’t help but laugh.

Village workshops build an industry

Many workers were farmers, with flexible work hours. They planted crops in the spring and harvested wheat in the fall. During the off-season, they sewed thongs as a side job. The handwork cost for one piece was about $0.3, with total production costs under $1. When sold in the U.S. and Europe, it could fetch $20 per piece. The generous profit was much higher than farming, and more locals started opening sexy lingerie factories.

This led to the birth of thousands of small workshops. They were modest in size, but had all the essentials—showrooms, production floors, and quality control areas. Each workshop could produce 200-300 pieces a day.
Here’s how it works: big companies nail the marketing, score the orders, and then outsource the production to workshops scattered around town. Once production was completed, all finished products were collected for quality inspection.

Fabric suppliers and equipment manufacturers flocked to the town, gradually forming a supply chain. Today, there are hundreds of lingerie factories and over 3,000 online stores, including those on Amazon and Shein.
With its price advantage, Guanyun quickly met the demand for affordable lingerie. 80% of lingerie is exported to the U.S., Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Japan, bringing in $420 million in sales and creating over 20,000 jobs for locals.

Update on latest market trends

From Mordor Intelligence, the global sexy lingerie market will exceed $20 billion by 2024. Today’s consumers not only care about style but also comfort and functionality. To keep up with product trends, manufacturers in Guanyun are continuously upgrading their designs and materials, such as lightweight, soft cotton yarn and polyester. They are also launching products that cater to different body types and consumer groups.

For example, this themed lingerie, designed by a Guanyun manufacturer, is made from materials like polyester and lace. The production cost is $3.30, but it can sell for at least $20. I gotta say, that’s a wild profit margin.

China’s Other Lingerie Hubs

Guanyun is one of China’s major production hubs for sexy lingerie, alongside Guangzhou and Yiwu. Guangzhou was the pioneer in adult products, with a well-established supply chain that covers everything from lingerie to other adult items. Yiwu, as the world’s largest wholesale market, offers a massive variety of lingerie for bulk buyers.

Currently, our lingerie clients either choose wholesale-ready designs or bring in their own design for custom production. Custom orders, especially, come with attractive profits.

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Wholesale and Cutsomize

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The post 70% of Lingerie from This Small Town appeared first on jingsourcing.

Top 3 Guangzhou Jewelry Markets and 2 Wholesale Tips

Sunny Xie — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 05:53:43 +0000

Guangzhou is a popular go-to option for jewelry wholesale. Today, I’ll introduce 3 major jewelry wholesale markets in Guangzhou, each with its own jewelry niche and key tips for sourcing.

Xijiao Building (西郊大厦)
Guangzhou Liwan Plaza (荔湾广场)
Taikang Jewelry Market (泰康饰品城)
2 tips for sourcing in Guangzhou jewelry markets

Xijiao Building (西郊大厦)

Located near Guangzhou Railway Station, Xijiao Building (西郊大厦) is also known as the South China International Commodity City (华南国际小商品城). It has over a decade of business operation history and mainly focuses on mid-to low-priced fashion jewelry wholesale. From earrings and necklaces to rings and bracelets, the variety is endless—some say no girl can leave this place empty-handed!

Xijiao Building has two sections, Tower A and Tower B.

Tower A mainly engages in international trade, focusing on metallic textures and Western/African-inspired styles, alongside delicate Japanese and Korean designs.

Tower B is for domestic retail stores and e-commerce wholesale.

Xijiao Building is mostly for wholesale, with a minimum order of 12 pieces per style. Compared to Taikang Jewelry City, the wholesale prices here are more affordable. Here’s the product layout by floor:

1F-3F: Finished jewelry wholesale.

1F: Mixed items, including jewelry, watches, K-gold, diamond jewelry, titanium steel, crystal, alloy, and necklaces.
2F: Mainly copper jewelry–more budget-friendly.
3F: Focuses on steel jewelry materials.

4F-5F: Jewelry components and materials, as well as warehouses.

By the way, if you’re driving, it’s best to park in the underground parking lot. The above-ground parking is reserved for internal use.

Guangzhou Liwan Plaza (荔湾广场)

Guangzhou Liwan Plaza is one of China’s most famous jewelry wholesale markets and a landmark in Guangzhou. It mainly focuses on wholesale for crystal beads, gemstones, jade, silver jewelry, and jewelry components, with a few shops offering retail as well. Make sure to check authenticity and quality.

Here’s the product layout by floor:

B1: Primarily wholesale for affordable crystals, gemstones, finished jewelry, and jewelry findings for DIY (e.g., beads, strings, copper-plated silver parts). Most components require a minimum order of 3-5 pieces per style. There are also stores offering moissanite, pearls (mostly freshwater, mid-to-low-end), and jade.

1F: Similar to B1 but with higher-quality crystals, gemstones, and stones.

2F: A mix of silver jewelry, components, and raw crystal stones.

Higher floors: Less concentrated jewelry and accessory shops, along with some warehouse spaces or other uses.

Opening time: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Better visit around 11:00 AM as shops open late.

Wholesale pricing and MOQ

Most silver jewelry components at Liwan Plaza have a minimum order of 3,000 RMB, priced by weight (per gram). For example, a friend of mine who runs a jewelry business in China once purchased 925 silver from a store with an MOQ of 30 grams per style and at least 10 styles.

Taikang Jewelry Market (泰康饰品城)

Taikang Jewelry Market, known as the “Yiwu of Guangzhou” for jewelry, offers an incredible variety of styles with almost no minimum purchase threshold. The main materials are electroplated/alloy products with silver ear pins, pearl beads, and mostly synthetic gemstones for gemstone designs.

1F: Mid-to high-end jewelry

Here, you’ll find plenty of sterling silver and gold-plated copper jewelry. Three large stores dominate nearly half of the floor, offering a wide variety of styles. Typically, you can mix and match 30 pieces, such as rings, bracelets, and earrings, to meet the MOQ.

The first floor also covers hats, bags, and sunglasses. If you’re interested in wholesale hats, consider visiting nearby Yuexiu South, which has a dedicated hat wholesale market.

2F and above

Prices drop as you go higher, but you’ll need patience to sift through the styles and quality. The good point is that the wholesale threshold is quite low, typically starting at a mixed batch of 10 pieces. On the 3rd floor, you’ll find several shops offering pearl jewelry, while the 4th floor focuses more on men’s styles, particularly titanium steel accessories.

Opening hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Here I want to tell you a fact:

Most of the booths at Taikang Jewelry Market source from Yiwu International Trade City, which is why the prices are higher than in Yiwu. If you’re looking to purchase fashion jewelry in larger quantities, the Yiwu market offers better cost-effectiveness.

2 things to keep in mind when sourcing in Guangzhou jewelry markets.

Ask about the materials and craftsmanship.

Jewelry materials vary widely, and the price differences can be significant. For example, S925 silver (about 8-9 RMB per gram) is more expensive than pure copper, which is pricier than titanium steel, and titanium steel costs more than alloy. Additionally, the thickness of electroplating affects the price—thicker plating means a higher price but also longer color retention.

For low-priced earrings and studs, pay special attention to the material of the ear pins. Silver is the best choice as it’s less likely to cause skin allergies.

How to tell if it’s real S925 silver?

The S925 stamp is an important way to easily identify silver jewelry. Additionally, silver ear pins are quite soft and can be bent easily by hand, which can help with a quick check. However, for accurate confirmation, it’s best to rely on certification or inspection labels from an authorized testing institution.

Visit more stores to compare prices and quality for similar styles.

If you find a design you like, don’t rush to pay right away. Take a photo of the shop’s sign or number, explore more shops, and compare the craftsmanship, price, and quality. Choose the option that works best for you.

If you’re unfamiliar with Guangzhou jewelry markets, hiring an experienced sourcing agent like JingSourcing can save you time and money. As a leading sourcing company based in Yiwu, China, they:

Have an extensive network of good jewelry factories across Yiwu and Guangzhou.

Know inside and out of the jewelry industry and wholesale markets.

Have helped many global clients source affordable, trendy jewelry with custom packaging, as well as develope brand-new mid- to high-end jewelry projects.

So, they’ll not only take you on a tour around Guangzhou jewelry markets as your translator but also help you find the right manufacturers and negotiate the really most competitive prices. What’s more, they can control the quality of your jewelry products and arrange logistics, ensuring a smooth and efficient sourcing process. Chat about your thoughts. All consultations are free before placing an order.

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Discover 5 Niche Fashion Jewelry Ideas

Lee Anqi — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 02:48:28 +0000

Over half of the world’s fashion jewelry comes from Yiwu, and we received many custom jewelry inquiries every year.

Today, we’ll explore 5 successful small jewelry brands, all with suppliers from Yiwu. The jewelry business may seem lightweighted, many still made some deadly mistakes. I’ve outlined these at the end of the article.

Chunks

Chunks is a brand specializing in creative hair accessories, offering eco-friendly acetate clips, hair claws, and headbands. These products are simple to produce and cost-effective. The secret to Chunks’ success lies in their unique, independent designs and close collaboration with Chinese suppliers. Priced at an average of $20 per product.
The founder is Korean. Pictured below is her visit to suppliers in Jinhua (near Yiwu), China.

Brianna Cannon

Brianna Cannon tapped into the niche market of sports-themed jewelry, especially with NCAA and NFL accessories like vibrant crystal headbands, earrings, and sunglasses. The brand expanded to holiday, wedding, and back-to-school-themed accessories, all resonating with American culture.

The brand also designed a jewelry collection for children with cancer, which not only raised awareness but also greatly benefited the brand.

Coucou Suzette

French brand Coucou Suzette is known for its playful acetate hair clips. Founder Juliette, born in an artistic family and a designer herself, created unique, playful French-style hair clips. Her designs attract over 48K visitors to their website each month, with sales reaching millions.
Acetate, as an eco-friendly material, offers more versatility in shapes and vibrant color textures compared to traditional metals. Its lightweight and stylish appeal has made it a rising trend in fashion jewelry.

Bonbonwhims

Bonbonwhims, founded in 2021, blend nostalgic and modern aesthetics in their vibrant jewelry. Their flagship collection is a custom initial series. The candy-colored pieces use materials like resin, acrylic, and pearls.
What’s worth mentioning is their smart marketing strategy that lowers costs. By using pop-up stores to test market favorites and releasing limited editions to avoid inventory buildup, the brand effectively drives consumer demand. So, business isn’t just about profit. It’s about how much you save.

Totally Dazzled

Totally Dazzled is a wedding jewelry brand. Their products are regular dazzling pieces, but their unique selling point is hitting the wedding niche by offering jewelry for wedding napkins, bouquets, dresses, and more. The brand has also expanded into holiday-themed decorations.

Compared to Etsy, where a dazzling bouquet can cost at least $200, Totally Dazzled provides step-by-step tutorials on social media. They also send free samples to influencers, allowing them to create and share beautiful DIY designs. It’s a smart marketing strategy that helps the brand gain more exposure to potential customers.

Many people choose jewelry to start a business, including some of my clients. I won’t go into why they succeed. It’s all about focusing on a niche audience and specializing in one type of product. But let’s talk about the three most common mistakes newbies make:

Unclear positioning
Trying to cater to all trending styles (vintage, minimalist, bridal, etc.) at once. Without a clear target audience, it can lead to a messy inventory and a lack of brand identity.
Not Testing the Market
Go straight into production with an original design without testing the market first, especially when most factories have a 200-piece MOQ per mold. This can quickly tie up your budget and leave you with unsold inventory if the product doesn’t resonate with your target audience.
Wrong pricing strategy
Not matching pricing to the market value of products. Pricing should be based on your target audience and the value they see in your product, not just about undercutting competitors or overpricing average-quality products.

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Shein’s Low Prices: In-Depth Look and Zara Comparison

Sunny Xie — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:57:23 +0000

At Shein, you can get a T-shirt for just $6.99, a dress for $7.99, and put together a full outfit—from head to toe—for under $40…That’s almost half, or even a third, of the price for similar quality products at Zara.

Why are the prices so low on Shein? Today, I’ll objectively analyze the reasons and what we small e-commerce businesses can learn.

Built on China's unrivaled apparel and textile supply chains.

To most US and EU consumers, Shein is a global fashion brand headquartered in Singapore. But it actually started in China, first selling wedding dresses and, in 2012, transitioning to women’s fashion. It’s China’s supply chain that made Shein what it is today.

More specifically, it’s Guangzhou–China and the world’s largest clothing wholesale market + textile market + massive garment factories of all sizes.

Shein’s supply chain center is located in Panyu District, where thousands of clothing factories—most of them small, traditional workshops—are perfectly suited to Shein’s small-batch orders and fast production. There’s a village full of Shein suppliers, called “Shein Village”.

Based on skilled craftsmanship and an efficient supply chain system, workers can produce hundreds of garments per day, a speed that overseas factories can’t match. This brings to mind Ford’s “The Rouge” legendary factory a century ago and Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory today.

Today, Shein’s supply chain is not just limited to Guangzhou—it also extends to the surrounding Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta, with around 20k factories for production and supply. Shein has also expanded its supply chain globally, working with factories in Brazil to serve Brazilian and North American markets and Turkey for European markets.

China’s supply chain remains Shein’s backbone, due to abundant raw materials, complete and mature production chains, skilled and efficient workers, and highly cooperative factories. These advantages enable Shein to offer “ultra-low prices” while staying profitable—something that is hard to find elsewhere.

In contrast, Zara’s core supply chain is in Spain, centered around its parent company Inditex’s headquarters and in its own facilities to achieve speed and serve its physical store network.

Small-batch and fast turnaround production model

The model core is to use small-batch orders to quickly test new products and markets. Based on the vast network of small factories in China, Shein has taken this model to the next level.

Test order can be as small as 100 or even fewer.

For the first order of a new product, Zara requires at least 500 pieces, while Shein can start with just 100-200 pieces or even a few dozen. This allows Shein to minimize the risk of mistakes, as the small order size means any losses are easier to control.

Here’s an interesting behind-the-scenes story.

At first, no clothing factory was willing to take on such small orders, as the cost of running the machines for just one batch wouldn’t even be covered.

To solve this, Shein not only subsidized the factories but also shortened payment terms to one month or even less, which is much faster than the typical 90-day payment cycle for Chinese brands. This helped factories with their cash flow, and gradually, more small factories became willing to collaborate with Shein.

With the same 3,000 garments to test the market, Zara can only test 1 to 6 styles, while Shein can test up to 30. This gives Shein a much higher chance of identifying a bestseller. Once a product proves good, Shein immediately arranges bulk production, adding hundreds or even thousands of pieces based on market feedback.

This on-demand production model helps Shein significantly reduce inventory costs and waste. Shein’s inventory ratio has dropped to single digits, far below the textile industry average of 30%. Low inventory means lower costs, contributing to Shein’s low prices.

New product test orders can be produced within 7 days.

Shein’s suppliers can complete garment pattern making, samples, and production in just 5-7 days, while Zara’s fastest production lead time is 14 days. In the traditional mass production model (5,000 pieces per batch), the lead time typically ranges from 30 to 45 days.

Shein releases thousands of new styles daily and launches up to 1.3 million new products each year, truly embodying “real-time fashion”. In contrast, Zara releases new products twice a week, with around 35,000 new styles annually—something Shein can achieve in just a few weeks.

Digitalization spans the entire Shein supply chain.

Data is integrated throughout Shein’s business chain, from the initial demand collection and design to order management and production, with real-time data collection and analysis at every step.

Data-driven design

Zara is designer-driven, while Shein is data-driven.

Shein uses a proprietary tracking system that regularly scrapes data from various fashion and competitor websites, social media, and its own user data (main source).

Shein also works with search engines to track trending keywords and forecast fashion trends, while data from buyers and offline pop-up stores further support its decisions.

Using big data, Shein analyzes popular colors, patterns, price shifts, and trends. Then, instantly share these with the design team to quickly create new style designs. With the small-batch and fast-turnaround production model, these designs are rapidly tested. Compared to the broad and vague “consumer insights” approach, this method is much more specific, significantly increasing the chances of identifying a bestseller.

Digitalized procurement

Shein has developed its digital management system, with everything clearly organized: the type of fabric needed, the material quantity required per piece and order, which fabric suppliers can provide, the price per meter and total cost, etc.

Shein works with a select group of fabric suppliers who have already passed a quality audit, saving garment factories time in dealing with upstream fabric suppliers. With the textile market nearby, once an order is placed in the system, the fabric can be delivered the next day or even the same day.

Also due to its large and stable procurement volume, Shein has strong bargaining power and can secure better prices from fabric and accessory suppliers than competitors.

Digitalized manufacturing management system

During the production phase, Shein’s system precisely matches orders to the production capacity of different factories, ensuring maximum efficiency and minimizing waste. In Shein’s partner factories, screens are everywhere, displaying real-time order information, such as the number of SKUs, production quantities for each SKU, and the production ratio for each size. Every step of the factory production process and progress is updated on the platform as well.

This refined digital management allows information to flow like blood through every part of the supply chain, boosting efficiency. The value created here is passed down to end consumers, with endless fashion products, constantly rotating new styles, all available at affordable prices.

Additionally, Shein primarily sells through its online website and mobile app, with just one permanent physical store in Tokyo’s Harajuku and some pop-up shops (usually lasting 3 days) in major cities across the EU and US. This approach contrasts with Zara, which invests heavily in its physical store network. By saving on the high rent and staffing costs of physical stores, Shein can offer lower prices, being more competitive in the market.

Note that these pop-up shops typically don’t sell products directly but serve as showrooms, offering fitting services, and feature Instagram-worthy spots to encourage internet influencers and consumers to share and promote Shein items on social media.

Here’s the key to Shein’s success: becoming an industry giant like this is incredibly challenging for small businesses, but there’s so much we can learn from it.

The future of e-commerce competition boils down to three things:

Product selection – If you don’t get this right, no amount of effort will matter.

Low-cost testing and rapid iteration

Maintaining supply chain advantages

All of our most successful clients got their product selection right from the start. That alone gave them a 70% head start. Why?

Because today’s marketing strategies and traffic costs are transparent—everyone knows how it works. The real competition lies in who can test products in the market with the lowest cost to identify winning products, while maintaining a strong, stable supply chain. Everything depends on it—from improving your product, to scaling up production, to ensuring consistent quality. And let’s face it, this is no small feat for small business owners.

At Jingsourcing, we understand this. With millions of suppliers in China and countless small business owners seeking the perfect match, our mission is simple: make it easy. We connect you with high-quality factories, monitor and handle the entire sourcing process from samples to quality control, so you can enjoy a strong, steady, competitive, and efficient supply chain.

Subscribe to us to gain insights and wisdom from our clients’ success stories. Let’s grow together!

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The post Shein’s Low Prices: In-Depth Look and Zara Comparison appeared first on jingsourcing.

Is Shein Safe? 5 Things Shoppers Should Know 2024

Sunny Xie — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 06:39:44 +0000

In recent years, SHEIN has become one of the biggest fashion brands in the world, right up there with ZARA and Uniqlo. Many of my friends who studied abroad in Europe and the US say that lots of locals shop on SHEIN. With all its popularity, first-time shoppers often wonder about 5 key questions of Shein as below.

What is Shein?
Why is Shein so cheap?
Is Shein safe and good quality?
What about shipping and customer service?
Any good alternatives for Shein?

What is Shein?

Shein is a legitimate retail platform founded in 2008, initially selling wedding dresses and now specializing in fast fashion and accessories, along with shoes, bags, kids’ clothes, etc. It’s available for shopping outside mainland China, especially popular in the US and EU.

Shein is known for:

Real-time fashion, with a clothing production lead time as fast as 7 days and 2k-10k new items launched every day. Shein reportedly introduces as many styles in just a few weeks as Zara does in a year.

Unbeatable affordability, with prices typically ranging from $5 to $25 and an average item cost of $7.90. This is significantly lower than Zara, where items average around $38, and H&M, at approximately $28. Some Shein shirts are priced as low as $2.90. This is irresistible for young, fashion-conscious shoppers seeking budget-friendly options.

Why is Shein so cheap?

Shein has 4,000+ clothing suppliers, mainly located in the Panyu district of Guangzhou and the surrounding Pearl River Delta. This region has one of the world’s most comprehensive clothing supply chains, from fabrics, and accessories, to production and sales, etc. This supply chain advantage helps Shein reduce production costs.

Another key reason is Shein’s agile supply chain model–“small batches with fast returns” and “on-demand production.” When a new product is launched, Shein orders just 100-200 units from the factory, quickly testing the market and then ordering based on actual demand.

This approach allows Shein to have a high sell-out rate of 98% and keeps its inventory levels below 2%, much lower than the industry average of 30%. Low inventory means lower costs, which gives Shein the flexibility to offer even lower prices.

Shein’s clothing suppliers were originally small, traditional workshops. Shein provided them with a digital supply chain management system, allowing suppliers to see real-time updated production schedules. Through this system, Shein connects every step of the garment production chain—from product planning, design, sampling, ordering, and production, to quality control—achieving seamless collaboration between upstream and downstream processes.

Is Shein safe and good quality?

Shein itself is safe with buyer payment security ensured, supporting many international payment methods like credit cards and PayPal. It’s used by many consumers—over half (51%) of US shoppers, for example, said they buy adult clothing from Shein.

Regarding Shein’s stuff quality, opinions online are mixed. After analyzing a lot of negative reviews and chatting with many of my overseas friends about Shein shopping experiences, the general opinion is:

The quality of small items is generally average, but they’re cheap and come in a wide range of styles. For clothes, if you choose carefully, you can still find some good fits.

SHEIN is a good option if you’re looking to buy trendy shirts, skirts, dresses, swimsuits, etc., at very affordable prices, like just a few dollars. The stylish designs at such low prices are hard to resist. For example, when my friends and I went to Thailand for a trip, we shopped on SHEIN for photo ops. There are so many styles to choose from, and it’s much cheaper than local street vendors. Here are some comments from Reddit.

Some tips for you to have a better shopping experience.

Read as many customer reviews as possible, especially those with photos, as they can give you a better idea of the materials, colors, sizing, and fit. Comparing your waist, bust, and hip measurements is really important!

Keep your eyes peeled—if you see similar items with a small price difference, it might be worth spending a little extra, as the quality could be better.

There’s indeed luck involved. Sometimes the quality exceeds expectations, other times it doesn’t. For example, some people report that $12 snow boots have a strong smell, or that a few-dollar bag doesn’t hold up well to wear and tear. But there are also those who are happy with their purchases. Overall, reading customer reviews and looking at others’ experiences is key—it’s a great way to make informed decisions.

When you open the package, don’t worry if the clothes are wrinkled—this is normal, just iron them out.

In case you’re not 100% satisfied,

Use the Shein return label to postmark your return (a nearby parcel locker is also OK) within 30 days from the delivery date. This return policy applies to most items sold on SHEIN.com. And the first return shipping is free. For later returns or additional returns from the same order, a $7.99 fee will be deducted per return package.

What about Shein shipping and customer service?

Most products are shipped directly from China, usually taking 7-14 days to the US. Sometimes, it might take a bit longer due to holidays and customs clearance. For closer countries like Japan, delivery within 5-6 days is normal, and sometimes even 4 days. Items with the ‘QuickShip’ label are shipped from a US warehouse.

When you place an order, you’ll see an estimated delivery date. In most cases, your package will arrive on time.

In case:

Your package hasn’t arrived within the estimated time.
Tracking shows it was delivered, but you haven’t received it.
Your package is missing items or has wrong items, or there are other shipping issues.

You can head straight to their customer service within 45 days of payment. The chatbots are available 24/7, but there is no live support agent. You need to submit a ticket to service@shein.com, then, wait for the response, usually within 24 hours.

Any good alternatives for Shein?

If you’re just shopping for a couple of items for your own use, you can compare Shein, AliExpress and Temu. These three are major Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms directly connecting Chinese retailers with end consumers overseas.

If you’re in business, Shein, Temu, and AliExpress are also helpful for you to find product selection inspirations, just like some of our clients. But keep in mind:

Shein doesn’t offer dropshipping services. AliExpress is the go-to option for dropshipping beginners.

Products on Shein are mostly retail prices, with different discounts for varying quantities, but there are no wholesale prices. If you want to buy wholesale, you have to send an inquiry to wholesale@emmacloth.com, and they’ll reply within 48 hours.

Good alternatives include DHgate for small wholesale orders such as a few hundred dollars. If your wholesale budget is around $1,000 or more, JingSourcing is a great option.

As a leading sourcing company in China, JingSourcing has been trusted by 4000+ buyers. Most of our clients are startups and small sellers on Amazon and other e-commerce platforms. We help you find reliable Chinese suppliers, get really most competitive prices, and monitor the supply chains in China to ensure stable quality and on-time delivery.

Chat with us to see how we can support your purchase.

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I Find an Incredible Niche: Tibetan Energy Jewelry

Lee Anqi — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:38:29 +0000

A client came to us for a healing jewelry niche he found. He saw this 2024-launched site selling Tibetan healing jewelry and making millions. So, we dug in. The founder is clearly smart, really gets the product and marketing. The most impressive part is they’re using AI to create incrediable videos.

Empower jewelry with spirit

Kailash Energy is a small niche brand that sells Tibetan healing jewelry, such as crystal necklaces and Tibetan bead bracelets. The brand name is actually taken from Mount Kailash, a sacred site for four ancient religions. They tap into Tibetan spiritual culture to sell jewelry that brings health, love, and wealth.

Prayer flag service

Besides jewelry, they also offer a prayer flag service that sets this healing jewelry brand apart from others. Customer names and wishes can be written on traditional prayer flags and hung on the sacred mountain for blessings, providing a deeply spiritual experience. We believe this is typically outsourced to locals in Tibet.

Can I source from Alibaba?

Unfortunately, no. We found they actually have over 200 products, mostly crystal and Tibetan-style jewelry. And none of these are generic wholesale items.

Take this crystal necklace for example. It uses metal wire-wrapping to combine crystals and gemstone, which requires skilled craftsmanship. Not to mention that high-quality crystal and craftsmanship don’t come cheap.

As for the Tibetan woven and bead jewelry, most of them are original designed pieces. According to the their website, the brand is based in Tibet, near Mount Kailash. And all products are made by four artists.

Whether this is part of their marketing or not, it’s either handmade from sourced materials or crafted by skilled craftsmen. So, these handmade pieces are pricey to make, and it’s not an easy money-making niche.

Magic of viral traffic

The brand promote on social media. By posting videos of snow mountains, prayers, product display on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube. In one year, they scored 287K followers on Instagram. You wouldn’t believe how they pulled it off.

The secret is AI-generated videos, including the million-like Kailash nature videos. I’ve gotta say, it’s incredibly innovative and efficient because some of them look so real.

Give AI an original photo, and it will follow your instructions to create stunning videos. The breathtaking visuals attract a lot of customers.

Low-cost marketing

We checked their Meta (Instagram, Facebook) ads and website promotions and found that they’re not running any paid ads. There’s also no sponsored content on TikTok or YouTube.

The only paid promotion we could find is affiliate program. They pay a 15% commission only when there’s a sale, ensuring a strong ROI and cutting wasted ad spend.

Business insights

Replicating Kailash Energy is tough. Their products and marketing work seamlessly, like two sides of a same coin. There are still inspiring parts we can take from it.

AI helps businesses do more with less, and Kailash’s success proves it. Especially those short videos, just seconds long, capture stunning natural scenes that feel so real. When used the right way, AI can turn your ideas into reality.

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